


Even more Trouble

by DieAstra



Category: A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
Genre: Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 04:42:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21422374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DieAstra/pseuds/DieAstra
Summary: Anna cares for Albert after he got wounded.
Relationships: Albert/Anna
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	Even more Trouble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Clez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clez/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Asking for Trouble](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21348226) by [Clez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clez/pseuds/Clez). 

> This is a thank you fic for Clez and a direct continuation of her story "Asking for Trouble". You should read that first, otherwise mine probably won't make much sense. Link above.
> 
> Thanks to meridian_rose for the beta.

Anna had an arm around Albert, trying to help him up from the ground. It took a lot of wincing and cursing from him but finally he was upright. Only now was Anna able to properly see the damage to his shoulder. There was no exit wound which meant the bullet most likely was still stuck inside, probably stopped by a bone. There was nothing she could do about it out here but she should at least try to stop the bleeding.

She ripped a piece of cloth from one of her many skirts and wound it around Albert’s arm and shoulder as tightly as she could. He groaned slightly, clearly making an effort to not protest her ministrations. His brown eyes, while filled with pain, also were full of trust that she knew what she was doing and would get him out of here in one piece.

Gosh, how did she deserve him trusting her so much?

She had to look away, absently minded still picking at the bandage instead.

“It’s okay, Anna, leave it. It’s perfect. Stop. Stop! Ow!”

That made her stop at last.

“You’re right, we probably should get going. Hold on to me!”

The blood loss made Albert dizzy and she had to hold on to him tightly so he wouldn’t stumble and fall down. Slowly, way too slowly, they made their way over to the slope that led up to the ridge. At the top of it were the horses.

Anna looked up and it suddenly looked a lot steeper and far away then she had thought. How was Albert to make that climb in his condition, not being able to hold on to any ledges and pull himself up? He already was exhausted and sweating from their short walk.

He must have noticed her looking at him questioningly.

“I can do it!” he stubbornly insisted while his knees clearly were shaking. Shock was setting in, she recognized. She had to get him to the doc, and fast.

“Curtis!” Anna yelled. “Curtis! Come here!”

Up above the ridge Curtis cocked his ears and looked down on them. Then he neighed once and carefully walked down the slope.

“Good boy!” Albert greeted him when he reached them. With his good hand he was patting Curtis’ neck and softly talking to him.

“I thought I’d lost you. I’m so glad you’re okay. Thanks for getting help. You’re the best.”

It wasn’t about what he said but his voice clearly soothed Curtis who had been agitated before with everything that was going on. Finally he stopped moving around and stood still enough for Albert to climb onto him.

It took him three attempts and Anna pushing from behind but then he was up in the saddle. Anna grabbed the reins with one hand while she used the other to pull herself up the slope and slowly but surely they made their way up.

When they finally reached the top they were greeted by her own horse as well as Plugger who was beyond himself with joy, running circles around Albert on the horse until Anna finally called him to her side so they could get moving.

*****

It was slow going, far too slow for Anna’s liking. The horses were only going at a moderate pace as Albert wouldn’t have been able to handle a full gallop in his weakened condition. He was not able to do much steering either but brave Curtis knew where he was supposed to go without any directions.

Home.

But it took them far longer to cover the distance than it normally would have. When they finally reached the farm Anna stopped and took a good look at Albert. She also reached over and felt his forehead. His skin felt clammy and his eyes had a feverish sheen. And his bandage already was soaked through again.

Under normal circumstances it was a ride of half an hour into town. But with them taking far longer and no guarantee that the doc was even in, it could be hours till he saw Albert. Anna scratched the idea. Time for plan B. The bullet needed out, now.

“Albert?”

“Hm?”

It looked like his mind came back from being far away.

“Change of plans. We’re staying here. Get off the horse.”

Anna quickly jumped down herself and then helped Albert getting off. He looked at her with glassy eyes and she was not sure how much of what she was saying even got through to him. He didn’t question her decision which convinced her further that she was doing the right thing. The Albert she knew questioned all and everything.

Once inside the house she helped Albert onto a chair in front of the fireplace and quickly started a fire. It would both help with his shivering and provide light for the task ahead. Anna did not look forward to causing him further pain but was determined to do what was necessary. With any luck he would pass out before she was done.

“Here, drink.” 

Shakily he held the bottle of brandy with both hands and took several swigs.

“More,” Anna said. “You’ll need it.”

Obediently he drank some more, then pushed the bottle aside. While he drank Anna had busied herself with taking off the sodden bandage. New blood was spilling out of the wound once the pressure was gone.

“Let’s take off that vest and shirt.”

She talked to him with a soft soothing voice, trying to be both gentle and swift in getting the dirty and bloody clothes off him. He flinched and gave a low noise of pain when she tried to tug on the right sleeve so without any further fuss she simply cut it away. Finally everything was off and she could see the damage clearly.

Anna ran and got some blankets which she put down in front of the fireplace. 

“Come on, lie down.”

“Wha- what? Why?”

“Sshh. It’s okay. I’ll have to get that bullet out. Do you trust me?”

He slowly nodded. She grabbed a small stick from the pile next to the fireplace.

“I won’t lie, it’s going to hurt. Here, bite on this.”

She saw recognition dawn in his eyes. He understood what was about to happen. He held her gaze for a few seconds then slowly lay back, putting the stick between his teeth. His chest moved when he took some deep breaths. His eyes, full of apprehension, never left Anna.

She grabbed a knife she’d gotten from the kitchen then knelt down next to him. She took the rest of the brandy and drenched Albert’s wound with it as well as the knife, disinfecting both. Albert cried out from the burning sensation and squeezed his eyes shut. It was now or never.

“Try to stay still. I’ll be as quick as I can. Ready?”

Without waiting for his reply she put the tip of the knife right into the hole in his shoulder while kneeling on his forearm to keep him from trashing around. She kept her eyes on the task but it was impossible to block out the noises Albert was making right next to her face. She wished she was able to close her ears to his inhuman cries of pain, barely muffled by the wood in his clenched teeth. Knowing that she was the one inflicting this on him would be haunting her for a long time to come.

Where was that damn bullet? She couldn’t see anything, there was just too much blood. Blindly she felt around while being fully aware of how long she had already been probing the wound. Any second now her resolve would break and she would call the whole thing off. But no, she needed to stay strong for Albert. She could cry about it later, when she was alone. She’d made a promise when she married him, to care for him in sickness and in health, and this was the moment to prove that she stayed true to her word.

A quick look showed her that Albert was still with her, trashing his head from side to side, his left hand clenching the blanket so he wouldn’t accidentally hit her. Her heart ached seeing him like this. She wished he’d pass out already.

With renewed resolve she dug in further and finally, finally scraped over some metal. It took a few more attempts to get the damn thing out. She had been able to lift it closer to the edge with the blade but her fingers, covered in blood, kept slipping. But eventually she got a good grasp on it and pulled it out.

Albert fell back exhausted and sweaty, panting hard. The wood fell from his slack jaw. He gave a long low groan. Anna quickly wiped her bloody hands on a towel then she grabbed his face between her hands and looked him directly into the eyes.

“Albert, listen to me. The bullet is out but the wound needs cauterizing. You’ve already lost too much blood, there’s no time for sewing, it can’t be stopped any other way.”

“Do it.”

His voice sounded raw, as if he was holding back a sob and his eyes bore into hers. His look, so full of pain, understanding, acceptance, almost killed her.

Then he lay back again and put the wood back between his teeth. Anna took a second clean knife that she already had laid into the fire where it had heated up and held the glowing tip right at the center of Albert’s wound while again trying to hold him down as much as possible with the weight of her own body. 

When the hot blade made contact with his flesh Albert trashed violently and screamed, hard. Then his head lolled to the side when he finally passed out. Thank God for small mercies.

Anna counted off a second then lifted the knife away. Too long and she would seriously burn him. She repeated that a few more times until finally the blood had been stopped.

*****

Anna had taken advantage of Albert’s unconsciousness and quickly wrapped the wound with a clean bandage, trying not to look too much at his marred flesh. Then she’d made a sling for his arm to rest in. They had to see yet whether there was further damage to his arm, whether he still was able to move it properly. Later. For now Anna grabbed another blanket to cover his naked upper body and lay down next to him, so close that their bodies touched. She wanted to be here when he regained consciousness.

She looked at his face. She didn’t often have time to do that, to look at every wrinkle and mole. It usually was such an animated face, never staying still for long. She loved the sparkle in Albert’s eyes and his wide smile. He always made her laugh with the things he said.

She knew that he thought that he did not deserve her, that she was way out of his league, but for Anna it was the other way around. She had no idea how she deserved a man like Albert. Yes, he had been angry and hurt when he had found out about her marriage with Clinch Leatherwood but after she had told her story he had taken her the way she was, with all the baggage included, no further questions asked. Anna didn’t think many men would have done that. They would have considered her spoiled goods.

Both of them had been broken and then healed together.

Now his face was slack, he looked as if he was just sleeping. Gone were for now the tight lines of pain and he looked much younger and vulnerable all of a sudden. A bruise was forming on one side of his face. Anna winced on his behalf. Then she reached over and soothingly stroked the hair at his temple. She couldn’t help thinking about how close she had come today to losing him. Over such a stupid mistake like a forgotten meal. She swore to herself that she’d never leave Albert alone in the desert again. Never. They would face every danger out there together. Next time they might not be so lucky.

It had been close for her as well. If Albert hadn’t shot Buford she wouldn’t be here now. But if he had died she would have not wanted to live on without him anyway. She was so proud of him that he had found the courage and strength to do this, while being in so much pain and barely able to move his arm. It must have cost him greatly.

Once again she realized that Albert was much stronger than people, including himself, gave him credit for. She made a mental note to tell him this when he was awake.

Anna must have dozed off herself because she got startled when there was stirring next to her. With a slight groan Albert opened his eyes, brow furrowing.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

Anna wanted him to remember what he had done. On his own. Patiently she waited for it to come back to him.

“You were gone and there was a shot and I thought you might be in danger so I went to have a look and… oh!”

He looked at the bandage.

“I got shot, right? I remember. You were there to save me.”

“And you saved me! I’d say we’re even.”

“As I said, I have a good teacher.”

Anna blushed, then tried to deflect by asking, “How do you feel?”

He considered it for a while.

“Hungry!” he then declared. Anna laughed. That sounded like the old Albert again. He also looked better already. Gone was the feverish sheen in his eyes. But he still looked very pale from the blood loss. He probably also felt much weaker than he let on.

She looked at the time. It was way past noon and they hadn’t eaten anything all day long. Time to change that. Thankfully their packed lunch was still in the kitchen so she did not have to spend any time preparing something to eat.

“Okay, sheep-boy, enough sleep. Time to get up.”

She wanted to help him again but he fended her off and pushed himself off the ground with his good arm. He flinched when he made an involuntary move that jarred his shoulder but didn’t say anything and Anna pretended to not have seen it. Then he examined the sling.

“Is it too tight?” Anna already was worried again.

“No, it’s perfect, thank you.”

Albert looked her directly into the eyes.

“Thank you, Anna. For everything.”

For a moment they stood close, foreheads touching. Just enjoying each other’s presence. They had made it. They were alive. That was all that counted. They could talk about the rest later. Or probably not. Some things were better left unsaid.

Albert sat down at the table and Anna brought the lunch, as well as a big glass of water for Albert.

“You lost a lot of blood, you need to refill on fluids. Here, drink that. Slowly. You also need to eat lots of meat. It will help you.”

“How do you know all these things?”

Anna shrugged.

“With the things our gang has done, sometimes one of the men would be wounded. Everyone who is in this business knows how to treat a bullet wound.”

“Well, I’m glad that you know all this but I’d prefer if I never again have to be the subject to your doctor games. If you are so much into it, go help Doc Harper in town instead.”

And with that Albert eagerly delved into his food while Anna threw back her head and laughed. As lines went, it wasn’t his funniest one, not by a long shot, but she needed an outlet after all this tension and it felt good to laugh away the angst and pain. Albert was here and he was alive. What else could a girl ask for?

*****

One week later when Anna woke up Albert was already awake, looking at her when she turned her head.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning!” Anna smiled. She’d never get used to waking up like this. Never.

“Do you know what day it is today?”

“Huh?” Anna was still a bit sleepy, brain not fully functioning yet.

“Today is shooting day!”

Albert said it like a little child that declared today was Christmas Day.

“Oh!”

Anna totally had lost count of the days. They all had blurred together in trying to make Albert as comfortable as possible. While his shoulder was healing nicely he still had a long way to go. Thankfully it did not look as if any permanent damage was done.

“I wanna go out!”

“No, Albert, you’re still healing. It would not be wise. You need to keep that arm still.”

“Then I’ll shoot with my left. I always wanted to learn how to do that. Please, Anna. I want to. I need to. I’m afraid…”

He trailed off but Anna finally caught on with what he was trying to say. He was afraid if he didn’t go today, he would never return to that place. Always finding excuses why today was not a good day and to push it off to tomorrow instead. And he would hate himself for it, reverting to the old Albert that Anna had been happy to see gone. He needed to get back into the saddle. Literally.

“Okay, we’ll go. Later. And this time I’ll pack the lunch. But first things first. I have missed my husband for way too long. That needs to change.”

“Didn’t you just say I need to keep my arm as still as possible? Hm?”

“Just lie back and let me do all the work.”

With that Anna carefully rolled herself on top of him. For the next minutes she planned to make him forget about bullets and shoulder wounds. She intended to go as slowly as possible, refamiliarize herself with every inch of his body. She already could feel his interest pique.

“Anna,” he warned her. “It’s been a while, I probably won’t last long”

“Ssh, it’s okay. You can pay me back later.”

They had all the time in the world for that.

Together.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry! I truly set out for this to be a fic with lots of comfort after the hurt, Anna caring for Albert, lots of fluff, but instead I ended up inflicting even more pain on him. Poor Albert.


End file.
